Sixteen Candles
by songwithoutwordz
Summary: Mrs. Weasley forgetting a birthday? Inconceivable! But that is apparently the case on Ginny's Sweet Sixteen. Poor Ginny, what will she do? And what is this about a boy?...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So yes, it's me again. Sorry for the lack of ANYTHING this past year and an half, but things have been... well "crazy" is a good word. Anyway, I basically had to start from scratch, so i'm reposting this, and the next chapter is well underway. Anyway, without further ado...

...**Chapter One**- _The (not so) Great Beginning_

" Come on, Gin, rise and shine! It's already 8:02. Do you really want a repeat of yesterday? Cause, you know, if you do, you can always count on us to make it possible. Our names aren't Gred and Forge for nothing."

Ginny just mumbled something incoherent and snuggled deeper into her comforter. The twins obviously took that response as a " yes", because the next thing Ginny knew, she was drenched with water: pink water to be exact.

There was one thing Ginevra Molly Weasley wasn't and that was a morning person. Her whole family knew it. In fact anybody who knew Ginny for more than five minutes knew that. It was a kind of running joke with her family and friends. In the morning her mum or dad would always tease about it by asking if anybody was brave enough- or stupid enough- to try to wake up Ginny. Whenever Ginny was home from Hogwarts, the task usually fell upon the twins, who were happy to oblige.

Since in the past few years Ginny had become immune to being shaken awake, Fred and George were always coming up with new ways to get her up. Usually, Ginny was not thrilled with the methods the twin used, especially when it involved feathers, sneezing powder, itching powder, small explosives, a chicken, **any** Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products, or a combination of any or all of them.

That morning was no exception. As soon as the water touched her skin, Ginny jumped up with a shriek and didn't waste time in telling the twins off.

" Fred! George! I can't believe you did that! Couldn't you have tried a nicer or at least more civil way of waking me up? I'm still trying to get over yesterday's waking up! You know, where you dumped blue water on me and I was literally blue for an hour!"

She stopped shouting long enough to look down and inspect the damage. When she looked at the twins again, her brown eyes were blazing.

" Do NOT tell me that I'm going to be _pink_ for an hour!"

Fred and George shared a look- one full of amusement and not without a little bit of fear. Ginny was not someone to cross when she was angry. It could be downright scary.

" Don't get your knickers in a twist-"

" Didn't you want to look pretty in pink?"

She answered with a resounding slap.

" Forge was just joking, no need to get violent-"

" Yeah, that hurt! At least, Gred, we've done something right. She knows how to defend herself, although I'd rather have her practicing on you than me."

" That hurts deep down, Forge. At least I wouldn't wish her on you. I'd rather wish her upon Percy; he's even worse than ever before now that he's getting married tomorrow."

" What a marvelous idea, Gred! Why didn't I think of that before? Ok, Ginny, I wish you would practice on Percy instead of Gred and me. Happy Gred?"

" Very. Ok, what we were going to say is, Ginny, is not to worry about the pink water."

" Yeah, we learned from yesterday."

" It's not like we have a death wish-"

" This time, the pink will go away as soon as you take a shower.

Ginny sighed with relief. She really would've hurt the twins if the stain stayed as long as it had yesterday. It had been so humiliating!

Yesterday, after the twins had poured the blue water on her, she just got dressed, not knowing that she was blue. In fact, she didn't know she was blue until she went downstairs to where her whole family and a couple friends were, and they started laughing at her and making comments.

" Aww, are you feeling a little bit _blue_ today, Gin?" Ron said nearly choking on his pumpkin juice trying to suppress his laughter.

" Ron, you silly boy! How can you say that? Of course she isn't feeling a _little_ blue- she's feeling _very_ blue!" Mrs. Weasley reprehended her youngest son while shaking with her own laughter. Everyone laughed harder, and they were a bit shocked about Mrs. Weasley's remark- it was quite uncommon for her to actually laugh at one of Fred and George's pranks.

Ginny, at that point still oblivious about her appearance, grew confused about what everyone was laughing about and went to the mirror thinking that her hair was sticking up or that she had a zit or something. When she looked in the mirror and found herself blue, she screamed and flung herself at twins. It hadn't been pretty.

Just thinking about that incident made Ginny blush in embarrassment.

" At least it won't last that long," Ginny mumbled to herself looking down at her now pink hands before looking up again to talk to the twins, but when she did, they were already gone.

" They probably didn't want to take the chance of me getting angry and attacking them again." She said to herself as she looked at her calendar. It was then she remembered what day it was: August 11- her birthday. Her sixteenth birthday at that!

She smiled to herself. She had been waiting for her sixteenth birthday since the time she knew the significance of it. It meant that her parents let her do more things, have a later curfew, and that she got an especially wonderful gift from her family. Last year, Ron had gotten a new broom for his sixteenth birthday thanks in part to Mr. Weasley's raise at the Ministry and the success of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Secretly, Ginny hoped that she, too, would get one.

Ginny walked over to her mirror and took the time to check her appearance in it. She had thought that she would feel different somehow: taller, more mature, or _something_! But, she didn't. She felt like the same old Ginny: same old brown eyes, same old red hair, and same old disappointing figure. In fact, the only thing different was that her skin was a bright pink color, and even that wasn't to stay long before it went back to its normal pale self, which would be sooner than later because at that moment, Ginny turned away from the mirror and walked to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, Ginny stepped out of the bathroom squeaky clean, refreshed, and back to her normal color. She quickly put on her best outfit, which consisted of a pretty rich blue colored top and a black skirt, and then hurried downstairs. She was hoping to find a pile of presents, or at least one long one shaped like a broom, but instead she found that her brothers and dad were already gone and her mom was in the process of leaving.

" Mum, where are you off to?" Ginny asked as she stepped further into the room. Her eyes roamed the room in search of presents; she didn't find any.

" O, Ginny dear, you're up! We didn't think you were going to ever come down!" Mrs. Weasley said as she turned away from the fireplace to look at her. " Sorry, that we didn't wait, but you know that today we're supposed to go to Diagon Alley to make sure everything is in order for Percy's wedding tomorrow. Your dad and brothers have already gone; Ron just now flooed over. I'll be off now, too- it's getting late! Come when you're ready Gin!"

" But what about-" Ginny started to say, but Mrs. Weasley had already apparated. Ginny gave a sigh of defeat and walked over to the kitchen table where the leftovers of breakfast were already cold.

She sat down with a bowl of cold porridge. Frowning, she stirred it with her spoon. Then before putting the first spoonful in her mouth, she rolled her brown eyes and said sarcastically, "Thanks, mum, for remembering." Then added softly, "Well, Happy Birthday to me, I guess..."

O yes, it was a _wonderful_ way to start her sixteenth birthday. The day was looking bright for Ginny. Not.

----- A/N: reviews are appreciated. chapter two soon to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Surprise, surprise, I actually updated at a decent time. yay! Anyway, thanks **HiddenFlame42 **and **anna** for your encouraging reviews. I appreciate it. Also, **sue sue** brought up the point that the title and the forgotten birthday/ sibling getting married comes from that 1980's classic movie _Sixteen Candles. _And although sue sue thinks "ripping this storyline from a movie shows an extreme lack of imagination, and makes you seem a bit lazy for not trying to come up with your own plotline.", I must point out that there are major differences between my story and the movie. You'll see (don't wanna spoil anything). Plus, stuff like this doesn't just happen in the movies. Believe me, it's happened to me. But, if you the reader feel that way, then I have some advice: don't read it! move along! read another fanfic. it's not the end of the world. you'll survive, i'll survive. It's as easy as that. anyway...

**Disclaimer**: I don't ownit, and I don't own the movie _Sixteen Candles_(except as a DVD, but that's besides the point).

Now, without further ado...

… **Chapter Two: **_Chance Encountering_

After Ginny finished her rather unsatisfying breakfast, she got up and washed her bowl out of pure habit. _At least they could have left me something warm!_ She thought scowling.

Usually, whenever it was someone's birthday, Molly Weasley would make a special "Birthday Breakfast" which consisted of every breakfast food conceivable. Ginny had been looking forward to a blueberry muffin and blueberry pancakes, for it was also well known to anyone who knew Ginny that she loved blueberries. All she had been left with though had been cold porridge-- nowhere near her expectations.

The apparent oversight of her birthday and lack of a proper "Birthday Breakfast" was certainly **not** helping Ginny's already morning-induced foul mood.

She stormed up to her room and slammed the door shut behind her. Flopping onto her bed, she buried her head into her hands. _This is not happening! Any moment now, they're all going to burst into my room with presents and sweets in their hands singing "Happy Birthday." Surely then couldn't have **forgotten** my birthday! Surely Mum couldn't have forgotten!_

Indeed the thought was inconceivable. Molly Weasley was known fondly as the "Walking Calendar," for she always remembered birthdays, anniversaries, and even such things as when someone had lost their first tooth. Mrs. Weasley even had the habit of reminding people outside of the family dates they needed to remember.

However, Ginny mused, it had also been inconceivable to Ginny that Percy would actually get married. He was so absorbed in his work with the Ministry that the thought that he could actually care about another person was laughable. His relationship with Penelope Clearwater, however, had clearly been underestimated, for the announcement of their intentions to wed had come nearly six months ago, shocking everybody. Mrs. Weasley had been, of course, ecstatic over the prospect of a Weasley wedding. She quickly set out planning every aspect of the ceremony and reception, conveniently forgetting that the bride's family was usually responsible for such matters. Penelope and her family, though, had been rather amiable and had allowed Mrs. Weasley to plan away, occasionally putting in their own input.

Mr. Weasley had been, of course, happy for his son, but had not gone overboard with the congratulations. The same attitude was also true for Bill, Charlie, and Ron. The twins, on the other hand, were another story. They were simply _too_ amused by the whole thing. Every time they saw Percy, they would tease him and act like live countdowns to the date of the nuptials. They were often heard saying in a song-song voice simultaneously things like, "Why hello there dear brother. Don't worry! Only three months, thirteen days, seven hours, four minutes, and twenty-eight seconds until you get hitched!" It could grow tiresome, and Percy learned to avoid them as much as possible.

_Bloody hell, is the world coming to an end! Percy's getting married, and here I am alone and forgotten._

It was then Ginny remembered Diagon Ally. Groaning, she got up half-heartedly and walked downstairs. She was not looking forward to yet _another_ dress robe fitting. It was truly ridiculous how many hours of her life she had wasted sitting around in _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_. Today, she would be forced to waste even more of her life away.

The thought was enough to once again enrage Ginny. Forcefully snatching up some of the Floo Powder, she threw it into the fire and stepping in screamed in frustration "_The Leaky Cauldron_!"

A whirlwind of colors and blurred images quickly engulfed her, and the old, familiar sensations of floo travel settled in the pit of her stomach. In a matter of seconds, she was stepping out of the _Leaky Cauldron's_ fireplace, brushing soot off of her black skirt. Taking an unchecked step forward, she tripped over a stool and went sprawling onto the floor. Unfortunately, on the way down, she heard a distinct _rip_. The ruined condition of her favorite skirt was the last straw. Really, the events of the day were enough to make any girl want to cry. Still lying on the floor, Ginny felt her eyes begin to smart with tears.

Suddenly, becoming aware of her surroundings, she felt a presence beside her. Glancing up, fighting the tears, Ginny saw a familiar pair of startling blue eyes. Embarrassment flooded her face, and she squeezed her eyes shut in the childish attempt to make it _just go away_.

"Are you ok, Ginny?" a quiet, feminine voice penetrated Ginny's thoughts. Looking up again, Ginny fought the urge to run.

"Just fine, Ari. You?" Ginny got up carefully and attempted a weak smile. Ariadne Zabini was having none of it.

"Fine? You look like hell, Gin! What a shame that skirt ripped! It was so cute, too. Do come with us, though. Blaise and I were just heading out to Muggle London to shop." Ariadne gestured towards her silent brother. "Mum wanted us to look around and see if there was anything interesting. We do that every once in a while. Kind of fun, really."

Ariadne was a sixth year Slytherin, and to say she was unconvential was a serious understatement. Like her brother—Ginny blushed at the thought—Ari had the classic Zabini appearance. With her raven black hair and startling blue eyes, she had the facade of a hard-core Slytherin, but her attitude was anything but. Ari's frequent trips to Muggle London were just a few items on a long list of "Slytherin Don'ts" that Ari conveniently ignored. Yet another was her friendliness toward everyone, even the Slytherin girls who scorned her. Thus, Ari had quite a collection of very diverse friends.

Ginny had meet Ariadne first year during the boat trip over to the castle. Although they had talked easily on the boat, Ginny didn't really see much of Ariadne until 5th Year when she was her Potions partner. Ginny and Ari were not close friends per se, but they did hang out sometimes and spent hours complaining to each other about school and whatnot. However, there was something Ginny would never talk about, and that something was standing not two feet in front of her. Glancing in that direction and then quickly averting her eyes, Ginny blushed again.

Blaise Zabini. What could be said of 7th year Slytherin? He was handsome, smart, athletic, charming, funny, and COMPLETELY out of Ginny's league. Well, Ginny wasn't even sure she **had** a "league." Basically, he was the definition of a girl's "Dream Man." And at that moment, he was looking at Ginny with amusement dancing in his blue eyes.

"Oh, yes, quite fun. Passes the time anyway. Anyway, you're welcome to come if you want, you being Ari's friend and all. But we must hurry-- have to meet some people in a bit."

Ginny was sure she was imagining it all. Did Blaise Zabini really just talk to her? Was she really dreaming all of this? "Oww." Nope, she wasn't. That pinch had been real all right.

Ariadne blinked. "Sorry, what? I didn't catch that. Was that a yes or a no?"

"Ermm…… ah… I mean, yes. Yes, I'd love to join you."

"Good, come along. O wait, your skirt! Can't have you going out in public like that. Blaise, give her your jacket to put around her waist."

Ginny blushed as she accepted the jacket. She could smell his distinct scent embedded in the soft fabric of the jacket as she tied it around her waist, and she savored it. Had she struck her head during the fall, died, and gone to Heaven? It certainly felt like it. Either that, or she was living in an alternate universe.

She followed Ariadne and Blaise out of the _Leaky Cauldron_ to the Muggle street outside. They hurried down a few streets before they arrived at a small shop that seemed to be quite busy. Blaise hurried in ahead of them. Ariadne looked up at the store sign and smiled.

"Ah, here we are. Looks like _Arden and Lark's_ is busy. Hope you're not claustrophobic, Gin. I love this shop, and apparently, so do a lot of people."

Ginny grinned. "Happy to say that claustrophobia is not one of my phobias. Though, I warn you, if there are people running around with pointy objects running, I might run out screaming. I am deathly afraid of getting my eyes poked out."

Ariadne snorted. "Getting your eyes poked out? I must say, I've never heard that before. Spiders, yes. But the threat of your eyes being poked out in a freak accident? You're the first."

"Yes, well, what can I say? Let's go in and see this shop of yours."

Ariadne's eyes lit up. "O, yes, let's. It's fun." Then grasping Ginny's wrist, Ariadne pulled her into the bustling shop.

The first thing that hit Ginny was delicious smells permeating throughout the small shop. Ginny quickly located the source of the deliciousness. Towards the back of the shop was a glass counter full of pastries and other treats that had Ginny's mouth watering. At the front of the shop were some bookshelves full of all types of books, both old and new. The rest of shop was filled with knick-knacks and random oddities. And toward the back corner were Blaise and Draco Malfoy.

Wait, what? Draco Malfoy? No! Malfoy couldn't possibly be barging in on the first good thing that happened to Ginny on her "Sweet Sixteen!" That was just cruel!

Malfoy looked up and scowled. "What's the Weaslette doing here, Zabini?"

O yes, it was all quickly turning into a _nightmare_.

...A/N: The plot thickens. Thanks for reading. Reviews welcome. Chapter 3 soon to come.

draco or blaise? haha


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